Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) Shares Bought by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) by 25.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 14,377 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,872 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $1,017,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in Southwest Gas by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 16,650 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,177,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 8,979 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $635,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 18.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 937 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its position in Southwest Gas by 0.6% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 27,125 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,001,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in Southwest Gas by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 15,766 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,115,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. 92.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on SWX shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Southwest Gas in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Southwest Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Southwest Gas from $76.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $73.00 target price on shares of Southwest Gas in a report on Friday, December 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Southwest Gas presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.00.

Southwest Gas Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of SWX opened at $76.34 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $5.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.78, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.37. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $64.31 and a 12 month high of $80.29. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $74.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.90. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.35 billion. Southwest Gas had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 5.99%. Analysts predict that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Southwest Gas’s payout ratio is 90.18%.

Southwest Gas Company Profile

Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, distributes and transports natural gas in Arizona, Nevada, and California. The company operates through Natural Gas Distribution, Utility Infrastructure Services, and Pipeline and Storage segments. It also provides trenching, installation, and replacement of underground pipes, as well as maintenance services for energy distribution systems.